TresSugar

100 Million Women Have Disappeared - What Can You Do?

TresSugar — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:00:10 -0700

Women around the world face dangerous systemic discrimination. Unequal access to necessities like medical care and food, in addition to violence and neglect, has contributed to the disappearance of as many as 100 million women in the developing world.

One woman sitting behind her computer screen in the so-called first world might not be able to do anything to reverse embedded inequality, but being aware of the plight of women might be the first step. Canadian economist Siwan Anderson hopes that tracking down the names and ages of missing women will help shine a light on the deadly gender inequality in places like India, China, the Middle East, and Africa.

President Obama brought up the treatment of women in his speech last week in Cairo. Obama said: "I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality." Women need more than words: perhaps Obama could promise not to support a cease-fire agreement with the Taliban in Afghanistan until they make concessions regarding women's rights, such as allowing women access to education and health care.

Should we call on our own leaders to help save women from premature deaths by putting pressure on developing countries, or should powerful nations decline to meddle in other cultures and social structures?

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Front Page: North Korea Sentences US Journalists to 12 Years

TresSugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:00:45 -0700

North Korea has convicted American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee of crimes against the nation. They have been sentenced to 12 years in a labor camp. - Washington Post
The Supreme Court declines to take up a case challenging the Army's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. - Fox News
Conservative parties across Europe are claiming victory in the latest EU Parliament elections. - Voice of America
Brazil's military is recovering bodies from last week's Air France crash off the coast of South America. - CNN
Susan Boyle has hired U2's manager. - New York Post

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Angelina Jolie Urges the UN to Act on Darfur

TresSugar — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0700

Darfur has almost disappeared from the news, and experts now call it a "low intensity" conflict. But the intensity of the crisis has not lessened for those who are struggling to survive. . . . Thirty percent of those displaced are school-age children. Girls leaving the [refugee] camps are raped; boys leaving the camps are killed. They want an education; they want to go back to their villages, to their land; they want peace. But they also want justice.

In an op-ed on Time.com today, Angelina Jolie attempts to lend some publicity to the crisis in Darfur. Today, the United Nations Security Council will look into the case against Sudanese President Omar al Bashir, who has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Bashir has been accused of taking out his inability to defeat rebels on the civilian population by subjecting it to rape, hunger, and fear. Angelina hopes the UN will act on this indictment and end the suffering in Darfur.

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Front Page: 20th Anniversary of Tiananmen Square Massacre

TresSugar — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:00:00 -0700

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Chinese police swarmed the square in order to block protests, but a candlelight vigil was held in Hong Kong. - New York Times
In Cairo today, President Obama called for a "new beginning" between the US and Muslims around the world. - Reuters
New Hampshire became the sixth state in the US to allow gay marriage, after the legislature approved a bill and the governor signed it into law yesterday. - Boston Globe
Michelle Obama has come out in support of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. - AP
Pro-choice activists have gotten their hands on the pro-life movement's playbook. - Salon

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American Journalist Jailed in Iran Won't Stop Her Fight

TresSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Roxana Saberi, the Iranian-American journalist sentenced to eight years in an Iranian jail, has told her parents that she confessed to spying for the US after she was threatened with death.

In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, Roxana's parents said the 31-year-old freelancer who has worked for BBC and NPR plans on starting a hunger strike tomorrow from jail. The tactic will surely raise awareness for Roxana's plight and put more pressure on the US to help her.

President Obama has given his personal word that Roxana is not a spy, but Stephanopoulos, who also spoke with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, asked the Iranian president if that would be enough to convince him to release Roxana as a gesture of good will. His response was not promising: Obama, he said, could offer good will by letting Iran's judiciary operate without interference.
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Irish Women: Abortion Is a Human Right

TresSugar — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:00:00 -0700

In Ireland abortion is illegal unless the pregnancy endangers the life (not just the health) of a woman. Three Irish women have sued their country in the European Court of Human Rights, claiming that the ban violates their human rights - one woman was undergoing chemo when she became pregnant; another had her children taken away by the government after she became pregnant because she couldn't care for all of them; and the third faced a dangerous ectopic pregnancy. All couldn't receive legal abortions in Ireland.

The government will present a staunch defense. Ireland contends that the European Convention on Human Rights does not confer a right to an abortion, and that member nations would never have voted for it if it did. Two American prolife groups were also allowed to file briefs with the court. To see what they have to say, read more.

The American groups argue that there is no international right to abortion, and that unborn children should be guaranteed the protection the typically prolife Irish people gave them.

The same human rights court considering the Irish abortion case previously ordered Poland to guarantee legal abortions if a pregnancy threatens a woman's health, is a result of a crime, or if the fetus is seriously malformed. The court could order Ireland to do the same thing.

Do you think that women have a right to an abortion under these circumstances? Should the human rights court go even further than this?

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Should Spain Move Forward With Indicting the "Bush Six?"

CitizenSugar — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 11:00:26 -0700

Top officials from the Bush administration might not want to travel to Spain any time soon.

A high-level Spanish court has moved toward indicting six former officials, including former Attorney General Roberto Gonzales, for authorizing the torture of five Spanish citizens at Guantanamo Bay prison.

Every country has a right to enforce international law, and this case involves the alleged torture of Spanish citizens. In fact, countries party to 1984 Convention Against Torture (which includes the US and Spain) are obliged to investigate torture cases, especially when a citizen has been abused.

Still, some say the Spanish court is intruding into American affairs. What do you think?

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Picture It: Hold Tight!

CitizenSugar — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 08:57:22 -0700

Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama greeted recipients hand in hand at an award ceremony yesterday for this year's Secretary of State's Awards For International Women. Seven women who have shown leadership despite struggles with discrimination and inequality received awards. And, no, not feeling the purple bow tie either!

View 5 Photos ›

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Front Page: Clinton Won't Let Human Rights Stand in the Way

CitizenSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 07:51:47 -0800

In China today, Hillary Clinton said human rights violations cannot interfere with the possibility of significant cooperation between the US and China. - Washington Post
Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited by President Peres to form Israel's government, a decade after he was ousted for a more moderate government. - Reuters
President Obama will meet with American mayors today at the White House. - MSNBC
Calls for Illinois Sen. Burris to step down are growing louder, thanks to revelations that he tried to raise money for Rod Blagojevich. - AP

France has pledged $730 million in economic aid to its Caribbean territories in hopes of ending escalating protests there. - CNN
The Democratic National Committee still owes more than a million dollars to the city of Chicago for the election night victory party. - Chicago Sun Times

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Something New? Saudi Cleric Condones Child Brides

CitizenSugar — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:00:38 -0800

A ceremonial wedding between a girl and a frog sounds like child's play compared to a real wedding between a girl and a middle-aged man. Yet the practice continues to cross our screens and affect real lives around the world. And it's not stopping anytime soon - at least not in Saudi Arabia.

Top Saudi cleric, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Sheikh, said it is not fair to tell a 10- or 12-year-old girl that she can't marry. This comes after a Saudi judge refused to annul a marriage between an 8-year-old girl and a 58-year-old man.

The girl's mother petitioned for the annulment, saying the marriage was arranged by the girl's father to settle a debt. The judge's only consolation? He required the newlywed husband to sign a pledge promising to abstain from sex until the girl reached puberty, bringing new meaning to abstinence pledge.

Though Saudi law may intend to protect children, it's difficult to separate the secular from the sacred in a country so steeped in Islam - a religion that imposes no age limits on marriage. A Saudi Arabia researcher for Human Rights Watch said, "It is still the religious establishment that holds sway in the courts, and in many realms beyond."

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